Microsoft revealed on Friday that a future upgrade would disable Internet Explorer 11 permanently on select Windows 10 computers in February of 2019. The Redmond corporation cautioned enterprises to act as soon as possible because the impending move could result in “risk business interruption at scale.”
According to Microsoft’s most recent notification on the Windows Message Center page, “The move to use Microsoft Edge update to disable IE is intended to deliver a better user experience and help enterprises transition their final remaining IE11 customers to Microsoft Edge.” “Reminder: IE11 is no longer supported as of June 15, 2022.”
The Redmond business emphasises that the upgrade will now take the form of a Microsoft Edge update rather to the previously stated Windows Update and that the precise date will be on February 14. The business stated that after the update is released on the specified date, it will be experienced by the remaining devices that have not yet been switched from IE11 to Edge.
Enterprises who have already rectified this issue by switching to Edge with IE mode before the deadline won’t be impacted, but those that are still using the outdated browser run the danger of experiencing delays in their operations. Administrators are encouraged to start the transition now and get rid of all visible references to IE on their systems.
Microsoft states: “You must utilise the Disable IE policy before February 14, 2023, if you would like to eliminate the IE visual references, such as on the taskbar or Start Menu. “If your firm still relies on IE11, you must start moving toward a transition immediately and finish it by February 14, 2023, or risk widespread business interruption when users can no longer access IE11-dependent applications.”
However, Microsoft added that without admin intervention, the IE11-related symbols on the Start Menu and taskbar will be automatically deleted starting in mid-2023 via subsequent upgrades.
By the June 2023 Windows monthly security update release (‘B’ release), which is scheduled for June 13, 2023, “IE11 visual references, such as the IE11 icons on the Start Menu and taskbar, will be gone,” according to Microsoft. The non-security preview release of some versions of Windows 10 scheduled for May 23, 2023 will likewise remove them.
Recall that on June 15 this year, IE reached the end of its support. However, Microsoft had always been excited about urging users to switch to Edge even before the deadline arrived. The business added some new capabilities and features to Edge in recent releases and tests with the goal of improving the Edge experience. Edge is a new Chromium-based browser. The new Sidebar features including the mute/unmute menu, resizing, and push notifications are included.
Despite these ongoing upgrades, Google Chrome continues to dominate the desktop market, where Edge is still a distant second. Edge’s market share in the desktop segment of the global browser market increased to 11.17% last month from 9.52% in November of previous year, which might be viewed as a significant improvement. With this latest disclosure, Edge’s market share may rise over the coming months. But given that IE11 will continue to be supported by Windows 10 LTSC releases (including IoT), all Windows Server versions, Windows 10 China Government Edition, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 with Extended Security Updates, it would presumably be of no consequence (ESUs).
